With a large breed like a dobe, when is it safe to let them go up and downstairs?

I'm presuming it won't be until at least a year. You see, now is a good time to persuade my hubby that it really is a good idea to let Cam sleep with us, because having recently broken his ankle he's feeling vulnerable and open to suggestion.

Only a married person could be this evil.

Edited to add: safe in terms of damaging joints, as opposed to stealing the duvet.

Ours never sleep upstairs - I am a light sleeper and any moving around wakes me up :D Our younger dog (she is 15 months) isn't allowed upstairs at all, apart from birthday morning celebrations which take place with the 4 of us plus the two dogs in our bed :( :( and I wish that we had never let older dog go upstairs (he has got into the habit of going up, first thing in the morning and snuggling up on the bed with hubby). The bed gets grubby quickly in the winter, even tho' he has a short coat and doesn't seem dirty :) Both dogs will stay at the bottom of the stairs the rest of the time - it's good practise for sit-stays :) Hairs everywhere downstairs is bad enough, without upstairs as well :) Another thing is that as ours are shut in the kitchen at night, if they are ill it is kept in one place.

Good luck with the persuasion :)

Daisy

I have an akita who has been allowed upstairs since the very begining - well after toilet training. we only let her upstairs under our conditions - i.e. not on her own ,although at night she does sometimes sneek upstairs to take herself to bed - which is funny because she sleeps in a run outside!

As to damage to hips (IMHO) as long as they are not thumping up and down but walking up the stairs shouldn't put too much more strain on their hips than a dash around the garden. It is the impact side of things that does the most damage.

But heed the warning about the mess! We have wooden floors in bedroom so easy to clean up dog hairs but duvet cover needs washing at least every couple of days, especially in winter.

I must admit I like to keep one area of the house free(ish!) of doghair, so the dogs stay downstairs.
:)

Going upstairs in the evening and down in the morning is safe for any dog. It's constant up and down that is not advisable in a large breed. However, limiting CAM to one trip each way per day may be difficult - it's easier for the dog to understand that they cannot go upstairs at all. 12 months is probably about the time when there would be no real danger, although development will continue for at least another 6 - 9 months.

I think it is "horses for courses" in terms of dogs upstairs or in the bed. I have always had dogs sleep in my bedroom, at one time there were three. Two were in crates in the bedroom and one had duvet privileges - for the other dogs protection :-) Moxie, my Yorkie, took a while to wake up when disturbed. Hence, any movement from one of the other dogs would send her leaping and snarling off the bed at one of the other dogs. Once she reached the floor she was fully awake and would wag her tail at the stunned "intruder". So, the other dogs were in crates. One was a GSD - and I do not think I would have wanted her in a bed. Two adults and a GSD even in a superking is a bit too cosey.

Now I only have one dog, a Cairn, who always sleeps on the bed. She's a real snuggler and it's lovely to have her as a bedmate (on top of the duvet).

Years ago I read a book by the Monks of New Skete. They raise GSDs and their dogs always sleep with the monks in their bedrooms. They believed that long seperations from the pack (and its human members) was one of the causes of bad behaviour/temperment in dogs and by keeping the dogs with them at night there was less seperation anxiety. It makes some sense, as a pack of dogs would normally stay together 24x7.

Stacey

When is it safe to let them go upstairs?

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!

Mine bounded upstairs after me once, i went into the bedroom, he jumped on the bed and bounced straight off nearly through the open window! ( I kid you not!) i know it's not an everyday accident, but it took me hours to get over that one! Never has been upstairs since, even when the windows are closed!!!!

My Cairn rolled off the sofa and broke her leg. I guess a sofa is never safe then either :-)

Stacey

that's about the bones of it yeah!! :) :) no pun intended!

Thanks for your thoughts and hints everyone. I must admit, before we got Cam I felt strongly that he shouldn't be allowed upstairs, not only because of the obvious (ie preventing damage to growing joints) but also because hubby was worried that Cam might ... erm .... be too young to be subjected to certain human behaviours. Cam is such a sweetie though that it seems really mean to banish him from "the pack" for the evening. If he had a doggie friend it would be different, but as it stands he's an only child.

If I survive this doberpup though, who knows - 18 months down the line there could be another addition to the family!

Hi Xzena is also an only one and my intentions were to let her sleep in the kitchen in her cage that lasted three nights with constant howling (head thrown back the lot) even with me eventually sleeping by the cage, so upstairs in the cage resulting in a good nights sleep, this lasted three weeks then she turned into the tasmanian devil spinning and howling. Then the know it all parents said put her duvet by our bed (brilliant).

The only problem now is in the morning you wake up with a dobe bum in you face and her head some where under the covers by your feet and you cannot get her out (11.45 in the morning and we are still shouting to her to get her lazy a*** out of bed)

In regards to going up and down stairs i carried Xzena until my back nearly gave way and then i walked her up and down on her lead but she cannot go when she wants as we have a baby gate.

I am also trying to add to my family next year,(not a baby baby but a dobe baby to my mothers disgust as she wants to be a gran to a human not a grand puppy)
joze

My dog always sleeps on (or in if it is very cold) our bed. She is my baby and I don't see anything wrong with it. Mind you, she is a bichon frise so we don't have to worry about her taking up the whole bed or leaving hair everywhere.

Hi Joze, You must be mad another one arrgghhh!!! wait till you met Sydney tommorrow and you'll understand all my problems. err challenges. err what is the word Im looking for??

Sydney slept one week with me on the ned when hubby went away. The bum in the face is not nice. urrgh.

Are you planning on having a litter with Xzena or another pup from a different litter? Guess Ill find out tommorrow . Hope you turn up Ill be there around 9ish as Sydney breeder said she would turn up to give me some handling tips.

hi unfortunatly i didnt get my entries in for that one but i managed to get them in for a show over the north east.
I hope you enjoy your day tomorrow and im sure he will be a little darling!!!
All you can do is stay calm (says me who needs 20 cigs before i even get on the show field) and smile alot. Through gritted teeth if need be.

good luck

joanne

Hiya Jo,
My hubby just said it all!! At least if they're upstairs with you, you know what they're up to!! Does he know my dogs or what!! Ours have always slept upstairs with us, but not in the bed!! Although they do like a cuddle in the morning!!;)
Hope you do get an addition to your doggy family.

Sarah.

We used to let Kujoe come up stair when he was smaller but he was alway's carried, now he is to heavy to carry so he stay's down, I would not let any of my large breed dog tackle the stairs intill they were over 18 months when there bone had hardend.We have a stair gate to stop them, even when we go to friends they will sit at the bottom of the stair but they know that it is a no-no, besides I would not want a bitch in heat sleeping on my bed.

I wouldn't be too keen on a bitch in heat on my bed either, but my two girls are spayed, so don't have that problem!!;)